Over the last couple of seasons we have seen LAFC shift a bit from scouring the International scene for the hottest young talent on the rise, to focusing pretty heavily on MLS veterans with experience in the league as well as those with a history of winning it all on American soil. That trend seems to continue with the two latest additions for LAFC over the past couple of days. Midfielder Mark Delgado makes the short, but tenuous, trip up the freeway to join the black & gold from rivals LA Galaxy. Defender Nkosi Tafari was also announced yesterday, arriving from another Western Conference side, FC Dallas.
Mark Delgado is Black & Gold.
đź“ť #LAFC acquires midfielder Mark Delgado in exchange for $200,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) and $200,000 in 2026 GAM.
— LAFC (@LAFC) January 22, 2025
LAFC acquired midfielder Mark Delgado from the Galaxy in exchange for $200,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) and $200,000 in 2026 GAM. “Mark is a player we know well from his distinguished career in MLS,” LAFC Co-President & General Manager John Thorrington said in a statement on the deal. “We believe Mark’s energy and technical abilities complement our midfield group incredibly well, and it is all the more exciting to add a player who grew up playing in Southern California to help us in our goal of contending for multiple trophies in 2025.”
At 29-years-old Delgado brings over a decade of MLS experience to LAFC, having appeared in 309 regular-season matches (270 starts) combined for Chivas USA, Toronto FC and the Galaxy, scoring 22 career regular-season goals and registering 38 career assists. He joins LAFC after spending the last three seasons with the Galaxy, where he recorded five regular-season goals and 14 assists in 91 matches played (83 starts).
He is the first player ever, and likely now the only one, who has played for all three major Los Angeles soccer teams (Chivas USA, LA Galaxy, LAFC). After the folding of Chivas USA in Oct. 2014, Delgado joined Toronto FC via the 2014 MLS Dispersal Draft, where he spent seven seasons (2015-2021), tallying 15 goals and 22 assists in 181 regular-season matches (162 starts). He was awarded multiple MLS Team of the Week honors during his time in Toronto, and helped lead the club to a record season in 2017, when Toronto became the first Canadian team to win the MLS Cup and the first team to claim the Supporters’ Shield, Canadian Championship, and MLS Cup in the same season. In 2018, Delgado’s contributions in the midfield led Toronto to its first and only Concacaf Champions League Final.
Adding muscle to the backline đź’Ş
Welcome to Los Angeles, Nkosi. pic.twitter.com/btZ0WVFPN1
— LAFC (@LAFC) January 23, 2025
If you have been following our player postmortems you will know we recently went over the departure of Jesús Murillo, a player who was not only one of the heart of the team, but a player that was a physical presence in the backline. We wondered aloud how the club would go about replacing not just his production, but his physical presence. It seems the club have an answer with the recent announcement of the acquisition  of MLS vet defender, Nkosi Tafari. The deal for the former FC Dallas defender was in exchange for $300,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money and a 2026 International Roster Slot.
“Nkosi is a player of great promise, and we are excited to welcome him to LAFC to see him fulfill his potential,” LAFC Co-President & General Manager John Thorrington said in a statement. “Nkosi’s technical ability and physicality will further solidify our strong backline.” The Manhattan, NY native appeared in 28 regular season games (25 starts) for Dallas last season, scoring three goals. Overall, Nkosi has played in 107 regular season matches (84 starts), compiling seven goals and six assists in 7,885 total minutes.
Tafari joins the Black & Gold from Western Conference rival FC Dallas, where he has spent the entirety of his five professional seasons, since getting drafted with the 14th overall pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft from Seattle University. His development has been so solid over the last few seasons that he recently earned an invitation to the U.S. Men’s National Team January Training Camp. Nkosi is a player that isn’t afraid to get dirty and stick boots in when needed. While we wouldn’t call it a like-for-like Murillo replacement, it’s definitely the same vibes and if Tafari can continue his development under LAFC, he will be a player fans come to love sooner rather than later.
Thoughts on the two new arrivals? Leave a comment below!